As internet commerce giant Amazon prepares to open its enormous warehouse and logistic and delivery centre at Gablecross on the eastern edge of Swindon some people believe there may be too many warehouses going up in the borough.
And they are squeezing out other industrial uses, most obviously manufacturing which often needs higher skills and better paid employees.
Swindon Borough Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for strategic infrastructure, transport and planning Gary Sumner was quizzed at a meeting of the council’s scrutiny committee by the opposition Labour group’s economic spokesman Junab Ali.
Coun Ali said: “In the draft local plan have we allocated enough employment land? It’s not just me who is concerned about a lack of manufacturing facilities, Business West is also worried.”
Coun Ali said it seems likely that the development of the Honda site by Panattoni, who are best known for developing warehouses and logistics facilities, would see much of the site used for that purpose.
He added: “It seems there will be a doughnut effect of distribution and delivery sites rather than hi-tec green economy manufacturing jobs..”
In its response to the council’s revised local plan Business West had said: “The dominant trend in Swindon has been the growth of logistics and warehousing and the decline of industrial and light industrial.
“This is partly due the sharp increase in internet retailing and deliveries, compressed into a short term period due the coronavirus pandemic, but it also reflects a long standing growth of this sector and the physical land requirements it creates.”
The business boosting organisation says it is concerned the new local plan does not allocate enough land for industrial purposes in order to compensate for the loss to logistics, especially of the Honda site in South Marston.
Coun Sumner said there were industrial firms expanding in Swindon: “The compoany AFL Engineering has expanded here and investing heavily in a new site in Swindon.
But it has lost some of its skilled engineers to Amazon. Honda engineers are getting jobs at Amazon, there are well-paid and very highly skilled jobs there.
“We are not Oxford or Cambridge but our hi-tec sector is expanding The Science Museum is working on a green hydrogen project it potentially will bring to Swindon. I’m very pleased we are being seen as a good place to bring the green hydrogen project.”
